Tin Ear Tuesday – Bruise the Lad

Yeah, you know, I was beginning to think that TET was dead too. It seemed a logical and merciful thing to let this labor of late nights and lead libations just go to ghost considering what little attention it elicits from the fickle fingers of the pixel class but who the fuck am I to ever step away from a dying scene. Besides, I need it. I love it. Love spending all these good hours pouring through mountains of music and memory to bring you thirty minutes of aural entertainment. So, despite all my better judgement (and the kindly pleas of our Editorial Staff) I present the next notch in the lipstick case that is Tin Ear Tuesday. Rockit.

Currituck County – “Disembark” from Ghost Man on Second (In Turns Return)…Fall is a beautiful time and what better way to commemorate the turning of the leaves, the crisping of the air, the bittering of the beer and the goddamn antiquated shift in US labor space time than with a twelve minute banjo raga jam from one of the more elliptical of the post Fahey open tune American primitives? Exactly. Shanti, motherfuckers.

The Bats Pajamas – “Sarai” from Totally…I really really REALLY fucking needed to find this song in a Saturday shame ache and stupor. Billy welts and punk ass rockanrolla gothness. The kind of bug eyed nonsense screaming a good man needs to punctuate his one-eyed pup and toothless wonder dance party. I think Ms. Mitzi was there too but it was late and all I wanted was a Pepsi.

Wild Moth – “Blossom” from Over, Again…If I’m not mistaken, we’ve featured Wild Moth on two TETs prior and with this we have officially laid praise and welcome to everyone of their releases (Over, Again being brand spanking). There’s a reason for this. Wild Moth fucking rules. Punk in the early Asian Man school set in with Alkaline Trio but way less pop and drunk deprecating. Maybe a little Festival of Dead Deer here too (though way light on the psychosis). No kitsch. No bullshit. Just melodious churns of grey arcing rage.

The Grifters – “Look What You’ve Done to Me Now” from The Smitten Love Song Comp…One of the great, “oh yeah, I think I’ve heard of them” bands, The Grifters were always a queer one for me. I knew I should like them. I knew they were smart and oddfellows of the lo fi grump rock persuasion but they never really clicked with whatever shtick I was racing back when they saw the light of day. Still haven’t, necessarily, but every goddamn song on this compilation is curious and amazing.

Spherical Objects – “Born to Pay” from Past and Parcel…Back in ’78 some dude named Steve and a couple other cats from Manchester got all hot and bothered with experimental post punk and decided to get all up in a movement which gave rise to this here jangling pop number (and a slew of other releases and a venerated label) which sounds a little like Pere Ubu playing an all uppers Halloween show as the Ass Ponys. Do with that what you will.

Paul & Pierre – “Lon Chaney (Alt.)” from You Don’t Have to Be Fashionable Vol. 1…I mean, of course I love this song. It’s genius. Ukes (I think) and gargles like fat, French Waits on Scope and heralds to the man with a thousand faces. I think it might be something of a joke or a weird regional expression like Chas and Dave (which the Union Jack punks fucking LOVE) but I don’t care, man. LON CHANEY!

Moonlight Bride – “Drug Crimes” from Twin Lakes…This band is fucking fantastic and I can’t – for the life of me – understand why we don’t all throw our girlfriend’s less sensible panties at them for doing something good and breezing with the fuzzy whumping shoegaze business that all the dime school romance kids are still drooling over. And, admittedly, this track isn’t their most amazing but it’s fucking nice, all right. Real nice.

The Octopus Project – “Le Nez” from Fever Forms…How long have I been saying that I really want to like The Octopus Project? A long time, right? Right. So, now I do. All burnt Texas beatific experimental dance party music (of sorts, of sorts). I’m thinking this is a bonus track off their new record and it’s all manner of kindly Stereolab homage (albeit less infuriatingly subtle and sociopolitical so kinda not at all really) which I suppose isn’t the best introduction to this long con but what a wonderful electric sweater song.